


love thy neighbor

by notsowearypilgrim



Category: Sweet Magnolias (TV)
Genre: F/M, Introspection, Pining, THAT SCENE, and also he wanted to kiss her nose so bad you can't change my mind ok, coach heart eyes maddox, this scene had me giggling like a school girl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24965962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsowearypilgrim/pseuds/notsowearypilgrim
Summary: Cal's thoughts during That Scene in 1x03.Because someone had to write it.
Relationships: Maddie Townsend/Cal Maddox
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	love thy neighbor

**Author's Note:**

> idk what this is, idk why this is, idk how this is. Just. a big question mark for all of it.

Going from playing professional baseball to teaching high school has been something of an adjustment, to say the least. He’s pretty sure that if his twenty-five year old self could see him now he would run screaming in the opposite direction.

But it’s…it’s nice. He likes the small, postcard worthy town square, the fact that all of his students have known each other since preschool, and the fact that everything is at most a thirty minute drive from his house.

And then, of course, there’s the fact that there were no fangirls like Maddie Townsend in the Major Leagues.

Cal tries not to lie to himself, so he’s well aware of just how relieved he was when Harlan informed him that she wasn’t going to be Mrs. Townsend much longer (of course, there was a healthy side of guilt too, because he knows exactly what she’s going through and wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But the relief, tinged with excitement, was there all the same.)

Part of him wonders if it’s considered rude or even just flat out inappropriate to already be flirting with her. But no sooner has he resolved to leave her alone than he sees her again, with those big brown eyes and her easy smile for all of her kids and a chin that she stubbornly keeps held high, even when her ex brings his affair and all the drama that entails out to the ballgames.

Maybe it’s his own experience with heartbreak, or maybe his teammates at the Braves were right and he really does have a thing for redheads. Either way, Cal tries to do what he can only guess is the right thing and keep his distance. It’s no easy hand, the one she’s been dealt. And yet she remains sweet and composed and patient every time he sees her.

Cal’s respect for her grows almost as fast as his attraction, and that is why when his phone rings one Tuesday afternoon when he gets home from school early he has to squash the giddy feeling.

A leaky sink might have put a wrench in Maddie’s day, but once again there’s a selfish part of him that is blessing every drop of water on her kitchen floor. He spends the drive telling himself very sternly that this is a neighborly visit and nothing more. The last thing she needs right now is a man all over her.

And then she opens her front door.

“Cal, thank goodness. I am so sorry to bother you, I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do but I’m at my wits’ end…”

He thanks every star above that she was rambling before he could even say hello; it gives him a moment to drag his eyes away from her clothes – much more casual than what he normally sees her in but he can only be thankful that her jeans aren’t as tight as her leggings were at the gym – and to her face. Of course, that doesn’t really help all that much. Her hair is pulled back with a pink headband, and the whole look is so girlish and adorable that he’s glad he’s holding the tools he brought with him just to keep his hands busy.

Oblivious, she walks him through to the kitchen and apologizes for the mess. It’s a relief to reach the sink. It helps him focus on why he’s actually here.

He starts to reach for the pipes, but pauses.

“It was coming…it, um…was coming from…..this direction,” she gestures with her hands, brow furrowed as she focuses on the treacherous pipes under the sink. “But it was shooting…more this way – “

Cal stares at her, unable to stop his grin. “That way, huh?”

Her eyes swivel in his direction, amused but mildly indignant. “I’m trying to be specific.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I just don’t want you get hit in the face with a bunch of water – “

Perils of kitchen plumbing notwithstanding, Cal ducks underneath the sink before he gives into the incredibly stupid urge to kiss her on the nose. His lack of caution immediately repays him with an ice cold spray directly to the face.

Behind him, Maddie squeals, passing him towels and rambling some more. He tries not to laugh once he gets the water back off, and tightens the loosened connectors as best he can with a slick grip.

Another jet of water hits Maddie and she squeals again; thankfully he’s able to get this one to stop a little quicker than the first and then he’s able to use his wrench to help make the fix more permanent.

“How many more towels do you have?” he asks once he gets his breath back.

“Not enough,” she giggles. They clamber back to their feet. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh…well, I made it look a lot harder than it was.”

She laughs. “This was always the type of thing Bill would take care of.”

Cal was busy drying his face off, but he slows and glances at her.

“And by take care of I mean he would call a plumber. Which I did call a few of them, but Helen has them all rounded up working at the spa. So. Thank you.”

Wisely keeping his thoughts on a doctor’s inability to tighten a few loose pipes, Cal smiles. “It was really no big deal.”

“Well, it was to me.” She smiles softly.

Unbidden, Cal finds himself wondering just how stupid Bill Townsend really is, to voluntarily walk away from a woman like this. He has no idea what to do with that somewhat ungracious thought but thankfully Maddie smooths past the awkward pause on her own.

“Um…do you want a drink?”

Cal blinks at her. A drink? Here? In her kitchen? With her in her housework clothes and that pink headband holding up her damp hair?

Didn’t Pastor June use the phrase _lead us not into temptation_ just this past Sunday in her benediction?

“Or, you know, you could stay for dinner? The kids are almost home. It’ll be something simple,” she ends almost apologetically.

The mention of the kids’ presence is what swings him over from reluctance to acceptance. He knows Katie likes him, and Kyle should be easy enough as long as he asks questions about theater.

That just leave Tyler.

A wild card, no doubt. But one he thinks he might play right if he’s careful.

“I love simple. If you’re sure it’s not too much trouble.”

“Oh no, it’s fine, I always make enough for a ball team. You know – “

“Teenage boys,” he finishes with her. He’s not too confident in his ability to hide his stupid giddy grin so he pats his face dry some more.

“Okay, well, I’ll set you a plate.”

She hurries over to the cabinet and her feet catch in one of the many damp towels spread out on the floor. Cal reaches for her without thought, grabbing her around the middle and tugging her upright.

“Careful,” he says, and that’s the exact moment she regains her footing and turns to thank him. Every word in the English language flies out of his head at the realization that she is close enough for him to see how the water from the sink has smudged her eye makeup just a little bit, and her hair is starting to dry into soft little curls at her temples.

He swallows. His hand is still on her waist. Should it still be there? He’s pretty sure it shouldn’t still be there. But she’s blinking those brown eyes up at him again and he’s lost all motor function.

“What the – “

It’s Tyler.

 _Perfect_ , Cal thinks as he tries not to back away from Maddie too quickly.

“Ty,” Maddie says, suddenly breathless. “Hi.”

Tyler stares at them both coolly. “You’re wet.”

“The…the kitchen sink. It busted so I called Coach Maddox to come help – “

“You did _what?_ ”

That’s his cue. Cal clears his throat. “I’m gonna take a rain check on dinner. You guys have a good night.”

He leaves quietly, trying not to resent the interruption but also immensely glad it happened. If Ty is this upset about a simple neighborly favor, Cal doesn’t want to think about the shouting match that would result from the kid walking in on something of more…substance.

Once he’s in a dry shirt and on the way back home, he forces himself to come to terms with the situation. Tyler has dealt with enough emotional upheaval already, and Cal has no desire to cause any more. At the same time, the kid has, for all intents and purposes, lost his father in a lot of significant ways, so Cal doesn’t think just walking away is the answer either.

And all of that is without considering the fact that Cal doesn’t want to walk away. He really, _really_ doesn’t want to walk away from Maddie and her sweet smiles and –

He stops that train of thought before it crashes. By the time he’s pulling into his own driveway, he knows what he has to do and hits dial before talks himself out of it in the shower.

“Well if it isn’t my pal Cal!”

He rolls his eyes, but smiles as he unlocks his door. “Hey, Trotter. Are you up for hitting the bar tonight?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Nothing,” he says too quickly. He immediately grimaces.

“Uh-huh. You do realize that being married to a psychiatrist has made me perceptive enough to tell when you’re lying, right?”

Cal sighs. “Yeah. Just…can we talk about it tonight?”

The voice in his ear shifts tone. “Of course.”

Cal smiles; Trotter has always shown perfect balance between teasing and sincerity, and this is far from the first time Cal has been grateful for his friend’s listening ear. Even if it does come with a chatterbox attached to it.

“Thanks. See you at seven.”

He hangs up, gets his wet clothes into the wash – after he remembers he left his soaked t-shirt in his truck and goes to fetch it – and hops into the shower.

What’s confusing him more than anything is the fact that Maddie doesn’t really seem to want Cal to walk away either. Of course, there is the possibility that he grossly misread the look in her eyes when she invited him to stay for dinner. But whether he retreats or pushes forward, he’ll have to step carefully to avoid bringing anymore pain to a woman who’s had more than enough for a lifetime.

He feels better now that he has a plan for the evening. Cal might be running in circles, but Trotter will know exactly what to do.

He just hopes it’s the answer he’s wanting to hear.

**Author's Note:**

> anybody else furious that Cal Maddox is fictional? No? Just me?


End file.
